The deaths of two WMATA employees shook coworkers, union members and residents around the Friendship Heights bus facility.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A fatal shooting that killed two Metro employees near a bus depot in Friendship Heights early Thursday left coworkers shaken, union leaders grieving and police investigating what they described as a domestic-related murder-suicide.
The two men were found just after 1 a.m. near the WMATA Western Bus Division depot on 44th Street NW, in an area where bus workers park and walk to and from the facility. D.C. police identified the victim as Robert Stokes, 42, of Middle River, Maryland, and the suspect as Terrell Cross, 44, of Bethesda, Maryland. Investigators said Cross shot Stokes and then himself. Both men died at the scene, and a firearm was recovered. Police said the shooting did not leave any outstanding suspects and that homicide detectives were still working the case.
The deaths quickly moved from a police investigation to a workplace tragedy for Metro. During a Thursday board meeting, WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke told board members that both men were agency employees. He said the shooting took place near the Friendship Heights station and bus bay but not on Metro property, and he added that there was no ongoing threat to the system or its workforce. Before continuing the meeting, Clarke asked for a moment of silence, calling attention to the loss felt across the agency. The gesture underscored how deeply the shooting landed inside a transit system that depends on workers reporting at all hours, often before much of the city is awake.
The union representing workers at the depot confirmed the victims were members. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 said in a statement that it had lost “members of our Union family overnight” and asked that loved ones be given privacy and space to grieve. The union also said it would offer grief counseling for two weeks to members who need support. That response reflected the close ties inside bus divisions, where operators, mechanics and support staff often know one another well through overnight shifts, split schedules and years of shared work. Several workers told local reporters they were too upset to go on camera but said they were saddened and unsettled by the deaths of coworkers.
The human cost reached beyond the workplace. Stokes’ wife told local news outlets that her family was heartbroken and said he leaves behind four children between 5 and 18 years old. She said the shooting followed a personal dispute between Stokes and his coworker. Police have publicly described the case only as domestic-related, leaving many of the personal details unresolved. Authorities have not said whether either man had previously reported threats, whether supervisors had known of tensions between them, or whether the men had arranged to meet at the location. Those unanswered questions are likely to matter as investigators complete the case and as Metro workers try to understand how a private conflict ended in public violence.
The setting made the shooting even more jarring. Friendship Heights is a busy transit and shopping area by day, but the block near the depot is also residential and usually quiet overnight. Workers cross through the area on foot, and nearby residents are used to seeing buses, parked cars and shift changes rather than crime-scene tape. Neighbors who spoke to television crews said the violence was surprising in a part of Northwest Washington they consider peaceful. One resident said people in the neighborhood regularly greet each other and that Metro employees are a familiar presence there. Another said she was shocked to hear of a double fatal shooting in such a calm area.
For now, the official next steps are limited but important. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will make the final determinations on cause and manner of death. MPD’s Homicide Branch is continuing to review evidence, witness accounts and the timeline leading up to the gunfire. Because police say the suspect also died at the scene, there is unlikely to be a criminal prosecution, but the investigation still must be closed with full findings. Metro and the union, meanwhile, are left to manage the emotional aftermath inside a workforce that keeps buses moving through the region every day.
By Thursday night, the story had become both a crime case and a labor community’s loss. Metro leaders stressed safety, police stressed there was no broader threat, and union officials turned their attention to mourning. The next public milestones are expected to be any added findings from homicide detectives and the medical examiner’s final rulings.
Author note: Last updated April 10, 2026.